Rise
by P1ckab0
Summary: It's been two months since the Fire Prince's forces entered Evireth, but except for disheartening news from the frontlines, Sakura Mikan hasn't been affected much. At least not until the Queen's Soldiers arrive in her hometown to recruit soldiers. The lines between truth and lie blur and she realises there is more to the war than there seems to be at first glance. AU
1. Chapter I

I do not own Gakuen Alice, nor any of the characters from said manga/anime.

 **CHAPTER I**

Mikan had always thought that the tranquilness of Steepside Cliff was the most beautiful thing in the world. It offered a beautiful view of the small town with thatched roofs and small, fenced gardens straight out of a fairytale and the endless rye fields stretching out like golden carpets around Saoi. But lately, her reason for escaping to the cliff was just that - escape. Every morning new recruitment lists were nailed to the town's noticeboard, and more and more often messengers bearing the Queen's personal emblem on their chests passed through Saoi on the way to the Capital.

Some of the messengers was all too happy to share their news, and the inhabitants of Saoi had learned too much of the crushing defeats of their armies to celebrate the war like the ignorant fools in the Capital did. The Queen's armies fell like flies against the Eldwryn forces and hadn't been able to achieve a single victory over the last two months.

"Mikan-onee-sama!" Mikan pushed herself up on her elbows, and turned to face the boy that had called. She grinned. They looked nothing alike - Mikan had hair the same auburn shade as most of Evireth and only slightly more exotic, almond eyes set in a heart-shaped face that made her look childlike even as a teenager, while he had amazing light grey hair and big, beautiful blue eyes shining with innocence that half of Saoi's inhabitants were jealous of. "The Queen's soldiers are here! They're telling everyone to gather at Ichigo Hill."

He gestured with his hands towards the Hill Mikan knew the location of by heart. Every year the children of Saoi spent the summer watering and harvesting the red berries the Hill had been named for. Even though it was far away, there was no mistaking the reflection off pristinely polished armor. Mikan frowned.

"Did anyone say why they are here?"

"Keito-ojii-san said they came for the Alices. He said-" He paused, and glanced down at his feet.

"Keito-san said what, Youichi?" Mikan questioned, pulling herself to her feet. Youichi kept his eyes lowered and mumbled something she couldn't hear. "Tell me, Youichi. Louder."

"He said they will take me too." He repeated, quietly enough that she could barely hear him even as she crouched in front of him. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Because of my Alice."

"Oh, imoto." Mikan smiled and folded him into her arms. He was still only four years old, but he usually acted so much older that she - and others - sometimes forgot how young and vulnerable he really was to the foul words of others. "They won't take you away from me and ojii-san. You're too young for battle, and your Alice isn't mature enough yet."

"Promise?" He asked, holding out his pinky for her to swear by.

"Pinky promise." Mikan smiled as she sealed the promise with her own hand. "Now, let's go."

Saoi was nearly empty. As they walked through the town and towards Ichigo Hill, Mikan realised that most of the inhabitants of Saoi had heard the news of the Queen's men and - Alice or not - had abandoned their usual morning activities to gather at the hill instead. To show support or find out who the Alices in their midst where, Mikan didn't know.

Being an Alice wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but many non-Alcies felt inferior and were jealous of those with unnatural abilities. Helpful Alices like healing or weather-control were treasured and respected, but those born with strange or "unnecessary Alices"- like Youichi who had the Ghost Manipulating Alice- were detested and shunned by the non-Alices.

Mikan knew, although her grandfather had never said so, that the reason Youichi had been abandoned as a newborn by his real parents was because of his Alice. They had detested his Alice enough to leave him behind a garbage bin in the middle of winter. By the time Mikan had found him, completely by accident, he had been weak and almost blue.

Youichi's life hadn't miraculously gotten better because he had Mikan and ojii-san to defend him though. His Alice had been strong and unstable nearly from the beginning, and not even Mikan and ojii-san could completely shield him from the backlash. Because of an instance when he lost control, most of the inhabitants of Saoi shunned Youichi.

As Mikan and Youichi neared Ichigo Hill, she could hear the booming voice of the Queen's Herald over the townspeople. "-royal Highness, Queen of Evireth, acknowledges and is grateful for the sacrifices of Saoi. Especially, since it was decided during the Queen's last Council that no monetary or proprietary compensation will be offered."

Mikan held Youichi's hand as they slithered into the crowd of townspeople like silent shadows, greeting familiar faces who noticed and greeted them in turn as they passed. A man years past his prime, with thick glasses balancing on the tip of his nose, stood on a hastily considered dias with a parchment scroll in his hands.

"Since long before the beginnings of our Great Queendom of Evireth, the Alices have walked on these lands." From the corner of her eye, Mikan noticed how the old shoemaker was eyeing the blacksmith's son with a dark look. Either he suspected the boy was an Alice, or he'd finally learned the identity of the boy who'd broken his daughter's heart two fortnights ago. "Powerful beings, the Ancient Alices were, capable of shaping the world around them as they pleased with the gifts the Ancient Gods gave them. With a wave of a hand, the Ancient Alices could split the land in two and make way for a river of fresh water. With a stomp of a foot, they could make the earth quake and open up under their enemies feet. With a whispered plea over a loved one's body, they could bring back a man from the embrace of death itself."

Mikan had heard the Tales of the Ancients before, including this one, but this was Youichi's first time and he listened to the Herald's words with a held breath and rapt attention. Mikan shared a grin with the innkeeper's wife over his head before she turned her attention back to the tale.

"However, the Ancient Alices with gifts from the Gods numbered only few handfuls, and over the years more and more perished due to old age and illness until the only way to preserve their abilities was to mix it with the bloodlines of the Powerless, the non-Alices. Now the Alices number more than they ever have before, but each child is a little less powerful than their parents." Here he paused to straighten his neckcloth. He swept his eyes over them, seemed satisfied with the attention they paid to him, and then fixated his eyes on a point above their heads.

"I remember when twenty years ago, those gifted with Alices rose up to defend Evireth from the violent southerners. How they destroyed the forces of the Fire Prince who came to seek war where no one wanted it. The Alice fought and won splendidly, and now, when a Fire Prince marches against Evireth again, it is time for the Alices to rise again and defend us!"

The Queen's Soldiers, standing in perfect formations between the dais and the townspeople, roared, striking their shields with their heavy swords and warhammers as they shouted their support to the Queen. The townspeople was a sheer contrast, quiet and unmoving and suddenly united in their resigned grief. There were already tears in the young children's eyes, and loss in their parents'. Royalty never cared for the commoners in war, Mikan thought as she watched them.

The Queen's Herald, too satisfied with his performance completely missed the townspeople's poor response, and continued on as soon as the soldiers quieted enough for him to be heard. "Then, without further ado, let the drafting begin."


	2. Chapter II

**CHAPTER II**

Draft was the wrong word.

Seven soldiers lined up on the dias when the Herald disappeared, each holding a scroll of varying thickness in their right hands. Like a clockwork, they held it up and let it unravel before they, in turn, called a name. There was nothing voluntary about it. People had already been picked out and sorted into squads with no regards given to the individual's thoughts and feelings. If your name was on one of those scrolls, you were going to the battlefield no matter what.

The first man from the left begun by stepping forward and reading the first name of his names. When the young man, one of the young men who'd talked about signing up when it was still voluntary, took his place behind him, he stepped back and the woman next to him stepped up. They stepped up one by one in turn, from left to right and then the left begun again, until at last the woman third from the left stepped up - and broke protocol.

"I feel no honor in this, and I apologize." She said. Youichi, who had been hiding behind Mikan's legs since the second man had stepped forward for the first time, peered out at the woman as if he sensed what was to come. She was pretty in an unconventional style with violet hair cut short, and she had saluted all thirty-four Saoi recruits as they'd lined up on the dias behind their respective leaders. It was the fifth round, and four Alices already stood behind her. Tabata Shouta and Sodo Natsumi had been in the same class as Mikan, but she didn't know either Yanagi Minoru or Obi Hisano. She knew the fifth one called intimately.

"Sakura Youichi."

The townspeople around Mikan and Youichi froze, as did Mikan, sure she had heard wrong but finding it impossibly hard to remember how to breathe. Youichi was four years old, and did not belong on a battlefield. It was inhumane to even suggest it.

But the woman repeated the name, and when the townspeople rose up in defiance for the boy who's Alice terrorized them, the Queen's Soldiers moved. They parted the townspeople with ease, and wretched Youichi away from Mikan even as she scratched and bit every bare piece of skin she could see and then some, and the townspeople cursed and spat at them.

Youichi screamed as they pulled him away from her, and she felt the first tears slide over her cheeks as she struggled against the innkeeper's hold on her. "Let him go!" She screamed at the soldiers, over and over and over again.

"Let him go! Let him go! He's only four!"

Then the woman heard her. She gestured for the soldiers dragging Youichi towards her to halt, and they obeyed. Relief surged through Mikan's veins, but it froze as quickly as it appeared when the woman turned to her and met her eyes. The unspoken question in her eyes was clear to Mikan, and she glanced at Youichi only once before she decided. She closed her eyes and steeled her resolve, then she reopened her eyes and met the woman's eyes.

"Anything." She said, and in the silence the word carried over all the townspeople to the woman. "I'll do anything for him."

And then Mikan was _drafted_ instead of her little brother.


	3. Chapter III

**CHAPTER III**

After her drafting, Mikan was sent to Senthal - AKA the most horrible place she'd ever set her foot in. It smelled like a poorly cleaned outhouse all year around, and not even the summer brought any color whatsoever to the bleak landscape. Everything was in various shades of grey - from the wet snow lingering on the ground most of the year, to the dreary people and the crumbling buildings.

Mikan hated it. She was used to green forests and golden fields, exotic colors and fabrics and fruity drinks and flavorous food from all over the world. Though her grandpa hadn't been very rich, never had she needed to force down tasteless bread, sour milk and stale beer which was the only thing available in Senthal outside the barracks. Then there was the horrible pills the military forced her to take for extra nourishment.

The only thing that was good about Senthal was that it was peaceful. Eldwryn, led by their Fire Prince, had annexed most of the southern provinces of Evireth, and currently besieged plenty of the few remaining, Senthal and Senthal Province was still unmarred by the war two years after it begun.

Two years. It had been almost two years since she had volunteered to take her brother's place, and she was nineteen now. Nineteen and stronger. Youichi kept sending letters almost every week from Eistbour - the tiny settlement near the coast where he and the old man who'd raised them as siblings had fled when Saoi fell. But even in Senthal she rarely found time to reply to his letters.

Most of the first year she had been in the military had been designated to training. She had been taught various fighting styles and how to use wield several different weapons by the same purple headed woman who'd accepted her instead of her imoto. Mikan's Commander, Tsuji Kogin, had several titles to her name of which the most important was the one the fewest knew about. Mistress of the Hidden Blades.

Either way, after Mikan completed her one-year long training period that Kogin demanded for everyone under her command, she had been entrusted with a single, brief, mission together with Obi Hisano to one of the provinces which had fallen first to Eldwryn, before Kogin had assigned her a post that kept her in Senthal or nearby most of the time.

The aftermath of that brief mission had been when she first began hitting the tavern every other night. At first, it had been only to gamble, but there was a mindreader in Kogin's ranks who used his ability freely and always won. Then she had discovered that the booze, foul as it tasted, was even better for taking her mind off the war for a short while.

When she didn't go to the tavern, she spent the evenings practising her katas or sparring with Kogin's other soldiers. Of course, as the last heir of old nobility, Kogin also had a rather impressive library Mikan often raided, learning everything she found interesting and never would've learned if she hadn't been drafted.

Because of all her training, and honing of "her inborn talents" as Kogin called them, Mikan knew there was something odd about the boy and his entourage the moment they bustled into the tavern and seated themselves in a booth on the other side of the room. Boy might be the wrong word, because he was about the same age as her or perhaps a little older, but it was clear that it was his entourage and not the other way around. If it was because of how he carried himself or how the others eyed him with wary respect, Mikan didn't know, but she felt certain that he was their leader. But leader of what?

Too concentrated on their end of the room, Mikan actually jumped when the barmaid, Ayame, slammed a newly refilled tankard down in front of Mikan so hard that some of the ale spilled over the edge of the mug. Some of the older soldiers thought that Mikan was too young for alcohol, but neither Ayame nor Kogin had ever said anything and they were the only ones Mikan obeyed.

Kogin because she was Mikan's superior, and Ayame because they were friends. Somewhat. Glancing up at her somewhat friend, she tilted her head inquisitively towards the new arrivals. Ayame shrugged. Strangers were uncommon in Senthal, and everyone from the outside was suspicious. As she turned her attention back to the letter she was trying to compose for Youichi, she found that she kept getting distracted by who the strangers were and why they had come to Senthal. And why now?

She spent the rest of the night watching them, but besides ordering apple cider instead of the usual ale, they did nothing suspicious. Right before she left, Ayame pulled her aside and whispered so quietly that only Mikan could hear. "There is something odd about them, Mikan. Promise me you'll tell Kogin right away tomorrow morning that there is someone suspicious in town. In times like these, it's better safe than sorry."

Mikan swore she would.

***  
Kogin invited her for breakfast the next morning like usual. Earlier than she liked, Mikan rose and dressed in the clothes she usually wore around Senthal - a dark tank top and dark, fitted tights that didn't restrict her movements and well-worn combat boots. It suited her far better than her stiff, official uniform. Remembering the strangers from the tavern the previous night, she hesitated and then pulled on her fitted camouflage vest and armed herself before she headed downstairs to the dining room.

She still couldn't get rid of the feeling that she was missing something.

Kogin was standing in the middle of the foyer together with a young man when Mikan came downstairs. Mikan scowled, then raised an eyebrow as she wondered what Minoru was doing in Senthal. They were both from Saoi and had trained together, but they had never gotten along. Last she heard, he had been sent to gather information on an Eldwrynian Camp near Jeline.

"-Lotsvete, it's only a matter of time." He said, and Kogin's face hardened into a mask of grimness.

"Alright." She said, and ran her long fingers through her short hair as she though. "Anything else to report?"

"Not at the moment." Minoru frowned. Ever the perfectionist, he was not satisfied to admit or acknowledge that he had been unable to do something. "I'm waiting for confirmation on some rumors about Jeline, but it shouldn't be something that can't be left until next report."

"Alright. Dismissed."

Minoru bowed his head before he spun towards the door, his little trainee hurrying after him on her much shorter legs. He scowled when he saw Mikan by the stairs, but only for a moment before it turned into a sneer as he made a very wide detour to pause beside her on his way out and fix her with his golden eyes. "The time to fly is nearing, little bird. The nest isn't so safe anymore."

He grinned when she flinched away from him, and stormed out. Mikan turned to make sure he really left before she spun back around and trudged over to Kogin. "Mikan." Kogin acknowledged, but her mind still seemed to be elsewhere for a moment longer, then her gaze focused on her too. "Ayame said you had information for me."

Mikan refused to scowl, but her lips twitched. She had promised she'd talk to Kogin the minute she woke up, but apparently Ayame hadn't trusted her to bring up the subject on her own and sent someone to force it up. They moved into the massive dining room, complete with marmor pillars along the walls and floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the terrasse and garden outside, as Mikan informed Kogin of the strangers from the previous night.

"I don't think they were from the north." Mikan said. "They didn't give off that kind of feeling, and besides, barely anyone is brave enough to try to go through the forest nowadays anyways. But then, the southern border is patrolled vigorously and only the merchants Evireth can trust is let through."

"Not anymore." Kogin rebuted, rising from her seat. "Mikan, that's why Minoru came himself instead of sending one of his messengers. Lotsvete fell two days ago and Eldwryn proclaimed it a part of their Empire yesterday evening. There is no patrols or controls anymore. Anyone can come and go."

Mikan's blood drained from her face, and she too rose to her feet. "You don't think-"

She was interrupted by the oak door behind them slamming open as Ayame and two village guards burst into the room. The two guards faces were pale and Ayame was red-faced and gasping desperately for air, proof she'd run the whole way from her father's tavern to Kogin's mansion.

Kogin turned to the two guards, demanding to know what was wrong, but Mikan made it her first task to make sure Ayame was alright. She swept her eyes over Ayame, and almost missed the slight tear in the bodice of her dress and wetness of the fabric around it. Without hesitation, Mikan ripped the white table cloth off the table and glared at the two guards when the jumped at the sound of the silverware and platters clattering to the floor as she begun tearing it into a more manageable size.

As she wrapped the cloth around Ayame's waist, she listened to Kogin grilling the blundering guards for information. Ayame looked up at her, wide eyes filled with fear and pain. "It's Eldwryn, Mikan. They're here."

Mikan met her eyes and nodded, then looked up and exchanged a glance with Kogin as she finished tying the improvised bandages around Ayame's middle.

The war had reached them.


	4. Chapter IV

CHAPTER IV

"You. Come here and help me." Mikan said, pointing at the youngest of the two guards and gesturing towards Ayame. "We need to get her out of here."

He stepped up, visibly trying to compose himself, and Mikan understood him. He had seen things he hadn't seen before, whether it was just the faces of the enemy as they marched on his people or the death of someone he knew, Mikan didn't know, but that didn't matter. Whatever he had seen had been enough to freeze him. Mikan had been like that too, once.

Kogin stormed away into the foyer with the older guard at her feet, calling for the rest of her soldiers awake to rouse their brothers-in-arms and prepare for a battle that had already begun. Mikan's guard pulled Ayame into his arms, and followed after Mikan as she led them out into the foyer and off through a corridor to the right.

"Mikan!" Kogin shouted after her. "Stay safe and join me as soon as you can!"

Mikan nodded without turning and hurried her steps even more as she paused in front of a door a bit into the corridor and listened. Hearing nothing, she threw the door open, revealing another empty corridor.

"Where are we going?" The guard asked as she took the vanguard through the new corridor.

"You're gonna get out of here with Ayame. Go into the forest, and find the old Mill. Ayame knows where it is. Then you leave her there and look for other survivors in the forest and take them there too." She explained as she halted in front of another door and checked the location of the daggers sheathed to her utility garter belt.

"Huh?"

"That is your orders, soldier." Mikan snapped. "Now, get ready. We'll exit through this door at the back of the mansion, and it won't be too far to the woods. I'll go first and scout the area - take down any enemies if they've made it this far already - and you'll run when I tell you to."

Mikan didn't wait for his answer before she spun around, threw the door open and threw herself outside.

The backdoor opened inwards and didn't provide any cover as Mikan rolled across the dry grass and behind an overgrown hedge. Trying to stay as low as possible, she poked her head up and surveyed the area. There was no human in sight, enemy or ally, but few deers raised their head from where they'd been grazing and disappeared into the woods.

The floorboards of the threshold creaked as the guard moved to cross it, but Mikan threw her hand up to stop him as she crept across the garden from overgrown hedge to overgrown hedge. Satisfied she was alone, she poked her head up and was about to gesture for Ayame and the guard to get going when she heard it.

The wind shifted unnaturally and she threw herself away from the hedge she'd been hiding behind just as an arch of compressed air cleaved the thing in two.

"Go!" She called over her shoulder as she tucked her feet under her and rolled away from another windblade. She shot to her feet, darting towards the teenage with the Wind Alice who'd just rounded the corner of the mansion and nearly killed her. He threw another windblade her way, but she rolled under it and unsheathed her longest daggers during the roll, and was back on her feet just before she pummeled into the teenager, thrushing her daggers into his chest before he had time to call the wind to his defence.

Blood splattered across her face as she pulled her daggers back out of his chest and turned to face another Eldwrynian rounding the same corner the teenager had. She sheathed her daggers at her hips and reached into her boot for one of her throwing knifes, flicking it into the man's throat before he had time to react. He dropped, and Mikan exhaled as she rose from her crouched position and cautiously eyed her surroundings, the corner from which the two Eldwrynians had come from in particular.

She relaxed slightly when she didn't spot any other enemies around, and crept around the corner of the mansion, pausing only to make certain both Eldwrynians were dead and not suffering on the brink of it and taking her throwing knife back.

She made it down to the village proper without meeting anyone else, and was sprinting down the street where the blacksmith and baker lived when someone yelled her name. Spinning towards the sound, she spotted the baker's only son fearlessly swinging his mother's huge, wooden peel at three soldiers in Eldwryn red as his two younger sister hid behind him.

Mikan cursed and changed direction. She threw two of her throwing knifes towards the soldier furthest from the children, but one completely missed and the other only grazed his shoulder as he turned towards her. She slammed into him much as she had slammed into the boy with the wind Alice, but without her blades in her hands. Still, the sheer force of her body weight toppled him over and he slammed his head against a cobblestone sticking up further than the rest and then remained unmoving.

She was back on her feet just in time to get a dagger into her hand before the second one cleaved her in two. Twirling away from his long sword, she plucked one of her throwing knives off the ground and flung it at the one still swinging his sword at the baker's children. It hit slightly to the left of his spine, and burrowed all the way to the hilt. He screamed, and took off down the street, leaving his comrades and the children alone.

Once he was alone, Mikan made quick work of the last soldier, disarming him, knocking him out and tieing him up with a string of rope one of the baker's daughters fetched for her. Once she was finished, she turned to the children and smiled.

"Mikan!" The boy cried, relieved, and flung himself at her.

"You did well protecting your sisters, Kinoe." Mikan smiled and patted his head as his sisters followed his lead. "But you can't stay here."

Familiar blue darted past the alley they were standing in, and Mikan untangled herself from the children in time to get the soldier's attention before they turned around another corner.

"Mikan-sama." The leader of the soldier bowed his head to her, the rest of his squad - the scouts excluded - following his lead.

"Kobe-san." Mikan answered, recognizing the red headed soldier from her nights at the tavern. They'd both lost against the mindreader on numerous times before they learned their lessons. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course, Mikan-sama. Anything."

Mikan waved the three children forward. "We need to evacuate all the civilians. Kogin and I have prepared the old Mill in the forest with the necessities - food, water and bedrolls. I want your squad to take these three there, and then guard the civilians until Kogin or I, or Minoru, comes for you."

Several members of his squad seemed relieved at the news that they wouldn't have to fight, which was completely understandable, as most of them were young boys who'd just been "drafted."

Kobe glanced at his men and agreed, sending off the more seasoned of his soldiers and scouts to join other squads and inform them that Kobe had pulled out to guard civilians and wouldn't be arriving anywhere as reinforcement.

Mikan hugged all three of the children before they left, and with the three soldiers Kobe had lent her guarding her back she watched them until she was certain they would be safe. Then she turned to her soldiers and signaled with her fingers for them to follow her.

It was time to show what a Hidden Blade could do.


	5. Chapter V

**CHAPTER V**

Mikan led her little squad through Senthal, searching for survivors and teams of enemies small enough for a four-men squad to take out. She saw Kogin once, from far away, locked in battle with a man she recognized from the tavern but had been unable to cross the distance without putting herself and her men in danger.

One by one, even the smallest of enemy teams wore her soldiers down until there was only Mikan and one of them left. And neither of them was in good shape. Mikan had a deep laceration from her upper arm to her collarbone, and several burn marks from a fire Alice wielder. Her remaining soldier had a bruise across his cheekbone, tears and scratches on his arms and chest, and had trouble even walking straight after his head collided with a wall during their last struggle with a four-men strong Eldwrynian team.

She led him into the post-office after he walked into a wall for the third time, and tucked him away between two mail sacks as she searched the surrounding houses for food and a first aid kit. She didn't know how to take care of an injury to the brain, and even if she had, she had no supplies for any complicated intervention anyhow. So she gave him food and water, and cleaned and bandaged the worst of his scratches before caring for herself. She thought the laceration on her arm might need stitching, but she wasn't strong or flexible enough to do it on her own and had to settle for cleaning and bandaging it.

Her soldier had fallen asleep, something she was fairly certain was bad when dealing with a head injury as serious as his had been, when the building next to the post office suddenly exploded in a roar of fire. A shadow spitting curses loudly exploded out from a window on the second floor and rolled across the ground.

Mikan groaned as she recognized the voice, and dug through the first aid kit for the painkillers she'd seen earlier and drowned a couple together with half a bottle of water before she rose and headed for the door.

Two young men were fighting in the street outside, hand-to-hand combat, and if she hadn't stepped in to deflect a flaming fist with the side of one of her daggers, Kogin's mindreader would've been toasted.

"You're still alive!" Toshiro, call me Koko, Kogin's cheating mindreader, grinned as he flung himself out of the way of a fireball.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She shrugged, glancing down at the dagger she had saved his life with and tossing it over her shoulder when she saw that it had started melting.

"You never showed up. Kogin refused to say it, but she was worried. You're not supposed to be involved in all out combat."

"What are you doing here then?"

"Well, firebender-kun over there likes to play hide-and-seek, and I've been hiding non-stop for the past two hours. No matter where I go, he never leaves me alone!"

Mikan snickered. "You got yourself an admirer?"

Koko scowled at her, then yelped as another blast of fire almost sweapt him off his feet. Mikan shook her head, throwing a couple of her knives at the "firebender". He avoided them with ease she would've admired in an ally, but spun towards her and growled.

"Oh no, Miks. That's how it starts. Now he won't let you go either." Koko winked at her as she twirled this way and that in order to avoid the blasts of fire aimed her way. They had definitely increased in frequency and strength.

"Well, I've been thinking of building myself a harem. You want to be my second man?" Mikan joked back as she pivoted over a fireball and launched more of her knives towards the Eldwrynian. Koko halted and his head swung towards her.

"Did you just joke with me?" He threw himself at their opponent, then danced backwards as a wall of fire rose right before him and turned to her again. "You did. The Ice Princess made a joke. Why aren't, like, everyone here to witness this?"

She mentioned for Koko to distract the Eldwrynian and quickly counted her remaining blades. She had her two daggers and four throwing knives, then a few more useless things like smoke bombs, bandage and a couple of butterfly knives which were cool but not very practical for the occasion.

Koko was struggling in hand-to-hand combat with the fire wielder when she refocused on the fight. Exchanging her throwing knives for one of the butterfly knives, she traded off position with Koko and jabbed her knife at the Eldwrynian's stomach, but he twisted away from the blade and grabbed her wrist. Twisting her hand around even though his hold made it nearly impossible, she dropped the knife into her other hand and slashed at his stomach again. He retreated a step backwards, but she changed direction and arched her blade upwards towards his face instead.

He had to let her go to avoid the knife, but refused to let him put distance between the again and followed him as he took another step backwards. She faked a fist to his shoulder and kicked at his legs when he tried to avoid her fist. He stumbled but remained stubbornly standing, countering her attack with a real fist to her shoulder.

Too late to avoid the attack, Mikan groaned as his fist connected with her already injured shoulder and something gave way inside. She retreated backwards, and he let her.

Koko was at her side as she clutched her shoulder, pulling her away as fire chased after her. "You okay?" He yelled, pulling her to the left and then almost throwing her over his shoulder in the other direction to avoid the fire.

"Yes. Just give me a second." She muttered, poking at her shoulder with tentative fingers.

"Dammit." Koko growled, pulling out his sword and batting away a slightly smaller fireball than the previous ones before glancing at her. "We should retreat Miks. Your shoulder is really not looking very good."

"Haven't you been trying to do that for two hours already? He won't let us go because we're injured."

Another wall of fire sprouted from the ground, this time between Koko and Mikan, forcing them apart. Had he overheard what they'd been planning? Mikan glowered at the firebender, as Koko stumbled to his feet on the other side of the wall of fire. For the first time, Mikan noticed how horribly pale he was.

"I'm fine." He tried to wave it off, but swayed in place even as he tried to convince her he was fine. Mikan didn't believe him at all.

"You're not, Koko. Get out of here." She ordered, turning her back to him and picking up his fallen sword as she continued. "You're the most valuable. You're the one with an Alice. You should retreat first."

"No." Koko shook his head, but it only made his swaying worse. "Kogin needs you more, Miks. She kept you be her side even though you were meant to be sent out to spy like Minoru and Shouta."

"..." Mikan didn't answer, knowing he was right. She had only gone on a single mission away from Kogin's side, even though she had been recruited as a Hidden Blade just to spy and assassinate like Minoru and Shouta and Hisano had. There had never been a reason given, but nobody had asked for one either.

"Just go." She repeated. "Right now, you're only in my way anyway!" She called over her shoulder as she batted away another fireball, noticing that it was much smaller than it had been in the beginning. She considered that, wondering if the Eldwrynian were tiring or just trying to fool her into a stupid attack. He certainly seemed clever enough.

"Promise me you'll live, Miks." Koko said. "You can't die."

Mikan grinned, throwing one of her knives at fire-boy straight through an encroaching fireball and then throwing herself out of the fire's way. She mustered all the confidence she could find, and said as haughtily as she could. "Of course."

Koko grinned and shook his head before he spun and took off without another word. The next time she had time to glance to where she had seen him last, he was gone. She dropped Koko's sword, finding it too heavy and too big for her to use effectively, and launched another one of her knives at him. It hit, nailing him in the arm, enough to be painful but nowhere near anything fatal or immobilizing.

She only had one throwing knife left now.

She really needed a plan. Really, really needed one.

She ducked underneath a swipe of fire, skidding across the ground and flipping her daggers into her hands as she closed in on him. He defended only with his hands, but even then she only managed to barely nick his ribs before he managed to swipe one of her daggers. He glanced down at the blade in his hand, then flicked it over his shoulder and she bristled at the disregard for her absolute favorite weapons. He honed in on the second, and she had to retreat or risk losing it too.

They paused, glaring at each other, chests heaving as Mikan struggled to find an opening. She tilted her head slightly to the left, and he tensed. She titled it the other way, and he tensed further. She smiled, raising her dagger and rocking back on her heels, but before she could move forward again, a horrified scream startled them both into freezing.

"NATSUME-SAMA!" A dark haired boy, maybe a few years older than fire-boy, hurried over to stand by 'Natsume?' but neither Mikan or he acknowledged him. For the first time, she noticed the strange shade of his eyes. Curious for entirely different reasons than their fight, she tilted her head again and eyed him. She really should've noticed his eyes earlier, reddish brown as they were. They were a sure sign of his nationality - no one in Evireth had such eyes.

Her eyes flickered to other young man, and she quickly categorised his dark blue eyes, black hair and tiny star inked beneath his left eye. "Natsume-sama! You were supposed to stay at HQ and command our troops from there! Not from the front lines!" He scolded, either still obvious to Mikan's presence of ignoring it. "You promised you wouldn't fight this time! You said you'd stand down!"

"We're not alone, Hage!" Fire-boy snapped back, and for the the first time the older male turned to her. His eyes went wide as he spotted her, and she cursed herself as she recognized him too from the tavern the previous night. Well, hadn't she failed terribly as a spy over the last twenty-four or so hours.

But he addressed the red eyed boy as Natsume- _sama_ , which would make him a more important person. And, the leader of their entourage, as she had though. At least she had gotten something right at least.

'Hage''s shock turned into a huge shit-eating grin as he turned to Natsume. And why did that name sound so familiar? "Why, Natsume-sama, are you losing your edge?"

"Shut up." He answered, looking annoyed.

Mikan tensed as their eyes shifted towards her, and she gripped her remaining dagger harder in her hand. She wouldn't go down without a fight. She refused to surrender. As flames erupted around Natsume's fists, and the shadows seemed to lengthen by the other man's feet, Mikan searched her memory for the name of the god she was supposed to pray to for a safe journey to the afterlife.


	6. Chapter VI

**CHAPTER VI**

Mikan woke up in the infirmary two days later, but wasn't allowed to even leave her bed. Forces from all over the queendom were arriving in Senthal, sent by royal decree to defend Senthal once reports of the first Evirethian victory over Eldwryn was delivered to her. While she drank tea and ate biscuits with other noble ladies, if rumors were to be trusted.

Mikan wanted desperately to join in on the action, even if it only meant overseeing Kogin's soldier practises or even mucking the stables, but she was stuck with bedrest and only some old, neglected paperwork and her old favorite books that suddenly seemed boring in comparison to the ongoing changes in Senthal, to keep her company.

The only upside was that she was allowed visitors. During certain hours at least. Several villagers, who'd never gone out of their way to talk to her before, had come by to offer well wishes and thank yous for saving this person and that person. No one listened when she said she hadn't actually saved anyone but the baker's children and perhaps Ayame herself, so she stopped and only smiled and chased them out as soon as it was polite instead. The only ones she allowed to stay for longer periods of time was Ayame and Koko, who'd somehow managed to get in Ayame's good graces while Mikan had been out.

Mikan groaned as she pushed another request for oral report to Commander this and that as soon as she was back on her feet, but found no sympathy in either of her friends.

"Not good news?" Koko asked, grinning and raising an eyebrow.

"We fought the same guy, didn't we?" Mikan questioned instead of replying. "Why do I need to talk to every single Commander in the army, but you don't?"

Koko's smile widened and he leaned forward as if he was sharing some big secret with her. He had even lowered his voice when he finally spoke. "Because all the good stuff happened while I was off fetching Mistress Tsuji so we could save your ass before you got it toasted. I mean, identifying the Fire Prince and battling with him and surviving? Hell, even I'd like to talk to you." Ayame rolled her eyes, but a smile tilted her lips upwards.

"The commanders though? They probably want to size you up. Thinks that if you can take them, then they can as well. They don't know your Mistress Tsuji's little prodigy girl and a hellcat when you're pissed off despite your delicate looks."

"Delicate look?" Mikan snorted. "I'm not even that good. The commanders could take me down anyday, anytime. It's, you know, why they're commanders."

"Yeah. In a sparr, maybe." Ayame piped in. "But not in a real battle, honey. Not when it really matters."

Mikan frowned as Koko laughed, trying to think of a clever reply but coming up with a blank. She was about to change the subject when the old nurse limped into her sight, glaring daggers at the two visitors who'd clearly overstayed their welcome.

"Sakura Mikan's visiting hours are over. They expired four minutes ago." She hissed, and Mikan cowered as she saw the spit arching towards her. "The Little Miss is still injured and requires the times to be kept if she is to have the rest she requires to heal."

Koko grinned and bobbed his head. The obsequious bastard. "Of course, of course. You're absolutely right, Yoshiko-san. We were just finishing our discussion and bidding Sakura-san goodbye."

The nurse turned to Mikan and asked her to verify his words, which she did. Koko §and Ayame left, and Mikan fell into a fitful nightmare of fire, lost daggers and a god who'd deserted her for not reminding his name. She woke up, drenched in sweat and as exhausted as she'd been when she fell asleep, just as she'd been left by the spited god on the road to hell.

A guard with a gold pin pinned to his chest stood at the foot of her bed, and blushed when she looked up at him from her twisted sheets.

Mikan grinned. She was back on duty again.

Mikan found Kogin in her private office an hour later, surprised to find her superior alone.

"You will be seeing the other commanders soon." Kogin looked up from the paperwork in front of her and offered Mikan a tired smile as Mikan pulled up one of the armchairs and sat. "They've all had access to your reports - all of them - and will question your action that day. Be prepared."

Mikan nodded, scratching at the bandages which had begun itching during her walk across the mansion. Kogin opened a binder and pulled out several sheets with data on the other commanders, complete with pictures and everything. Mistress of the Hidden Blades indeed.

"Is this true?" She asked as she read through the first paragraphs. "Where did this information come from?"

"Oh, yes, it's true. Hisano first reported suspicious rumors in Jeline fourteen months ago, and Minoru and his apprentice has been investigating them since them. Noa-chan was here yesterday to deliver the final reports - it is without a doubt true. Commander Eito Chinen and the Fujioka Family have been in communications with the enemy, supplying them with who knows what information about our defences."

"But why? Eldwryn is powerful enough to take Evireth even without help from the inside, What do they gain from this?"

Kogin, who'd returned her attention to her paperwork during their conversation, looked back up at Mikan with a look she couldn't decipher. For a while they sat in silence, Kogin observing her, until Mikan raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know that our Queen is not the previous Queen's daughter, but her cousin?" Mikan nodded, because although it wasn't often spoken about, everyone knew the Queen's true parentage. "Eighteen years ago, when Queen Yukari passed away, she had given birth to a child. A premature, little girl who died shortly after birth and was buried by her father's side. But some of Queen Yukari's old friends and confidantes have stepped forward and claimed that the little princess is still alive, hidden away by her mother because she saw the greed in the heart of her cousin and feared what would happen to her daughter when she passed away. They are only doing it because they are dissatisfied with how our current Queen is ruling the queendom, but perhaps Commander Chinen, the Fujiokas and the King of Eldwryn believes the little princess is still alive and have united to find her and place her on the throne. It doesn't make them any less traitorous to our current Queen, but loyal to the queendom, and for as long as I've known him Commander Chinen has always been loyal to the queendom."

Mikan stared at her commander. "Why have you never told me this before?"

"I'm not stupid, Mikan. I know you've read all the fairytales in my library at least a dozen times each. You're a sucker for princes and princesses, and if I told you earlier that we might have a lost princess hidden away somewhere you would've gone off to search for her whether she exists or not."

Mikan's cheeks warmed, but she couldn't deny Kogin's words. She had read all of the fairytales multiple times, and they were some of her favorite books. But not as much because of the royalty they often featured, but for the happy ending which was so achingly absent from her own life.

She turned back to her papers, reading through the rest of the information gathered on Commander Chinen and then the other Commanders and their aides until Kogin glanced at the clock and then rose. "It's time, Mikan. The Commanders are waiting for us."

Mikan rose, and followed Kogin to the old Council Hall where the Commanders and their aides had gathered. Mikan and Kogin were the last to arrive.

"Gentlemen." Kogin nodded down the table and took the remaining seat at the head of the table. Mikan stood behind her, her hands clasped behind her back and lowered her head quickly to the commanders when Kogin did.

"Is this her?" One of the Commanders well beyond his prime asked, watching her from over the rim of his half-moon glasses. She recognized him as Tanji Iwata, who'd been in charge of defending the northern border for the last twenty-five years.

"Yes." Kogin replied. "This is Sakura Mikan. As I'm sure you all know, she has been under my command for about two years and though she has no official rank, she is effectively my second-in-command."

"You have served your country well, Sakura Mikan." Commander Tanji's stern face melted away and he smiled at her. He had always been reputed to be a fair leader, and this only proved it. "But these things must be reviewed anyways. Let's see… Can you give a brief recount of how you came across the Prince?"

"I was taking shelter with a wounded comrade when he blew up the building next to the one I was inside. He was engaged in combat with Kokoroyomi Toshiro and even though Kokoroyomi has an Alice that grants him mindreading, he was not able to defend against the Fire Prince efficiently. As a possessor of a rarer Alice, he is an important part of our forces, and since I was in the vicinity and unoccupied, I decided to aid him. Two against one seemed like a better idea than engaging on my own."

"I see." This came from another commander, Kita Shinnosuke. He was not much older than Mikan herself, and one of the military men closest to their current Queen as well as an ardent supporter of her and everything she stood for. "So you did not know that he was the Prince?"

"No." Mikan replied. "I did not realise until later when another Eldwrynian male arrived and referred to him as Natsume-sama - and even then I had barely realised it when Kogin and the reinforcements arrived and they retreated."

Commander Shinnosuke scoffed. "So you came across perhaps the most important person on the field that day and nevermind apprehending, but you were also unable to kill him. I thought you trained your soldiers better, Commander Tsuji, since everyone always praises you so."

Mikan stood, bristling with anger. "Now, look here. I understand the doubt directed at me for being unable to apprehend the Fire Prince and potentially ending the war that has taken too much from Evireth already, but my failure should not be blamed on Commander Tsuji. Since all of you have probably read up on me, you all know that I am not an Alice and I have only been enlisted for roughly two years. I think, given that, the fact that I remained alive from an encounter with one of the most powerful men in the Eldwrynian Empire should speak well of Commander Tsuji's abilities - rather than against them."

"Thank you, Mikan." Kogin said in the silence that followed her statement, sending her a not so very subtle glare. "There is a scouting party about to leave any minute now, and I would like it if you could accompany them. The destination is Merka to the south, where primary scouting indicated the Eldwrynians have set camp. Do not engage and pull back immediately if they detect you. You'll be second command. Read these - " She shielded her notes as she scribbled them down, then carefully folded the slip of parchment before handing it to Mikan. "-files before you leave. Dismissed."

Mikan fisted her hand on her heart and tipped her head down before she spun around and left the room. Outside, she leaned against the wall and, making sure no one was around to see, opened Kogin's note.

CHINEN'S AIDE FIRST IN COMMAND. BE CAREFUL.

The aide of Commander Chinen - whom Kogin (and Minoru) suspected was committing improper contact with Eldwryn - had managed to land himself the commanding position of the first scouting party to leave Senthal? A coincidence? Kogin obviously suspected not.

Pushing herself off the wall, she slipped the paper into one of the back pockets of the camouflage shorts she was wearing, and nearly jumped when Koko emerged from the library, already dressed in his mission clothes. "I was requested." He grumbled, and she grinned.

"Good. I think we'll need each other." Mikan said, and turned towards her room. "I need to get changed. Stall if they try to leave without me."

"Yes, sir!" Koko saluted, grinning, and hurried down the stairs as she turned down another corridor. Her room was third on the left, and once inside, she quickly stripped out of the clothes Ayame had brought to the infirmary for her. She tugged a black tank top on, and then a long sleeved, military mesh, crop top and finished it off with her usual sleeveless protective, vest. She couldn't find a pair of good pants, so with a mental shrug, she slipped on a pair of black tights and then the same shorts she'd been wearing before. She found her knee pads under her bed and slipped them on before she paused and considered her options. She was fairly well protected by her vest, and though a pair of real pants would've been better, all her clothes were durable and usable even in the worst condition. The shorts were loose enough to allow her more movement than all her cargo pants combined, and if push came to shove during this mission, she was fairly certain she'd need the movability more than the heavy, protective gear anyways.

She pulled out the locked weapons case from underneath her dresser and unlocked it with the key she kept around her neck at all times. She had all kinds of swords, daggers and even a few war fans, but she mostly relied on her daggers.

Mikan rose and fetched her taller combat boots, the ones that reached to just below her knees, and slipped them on. She pulled several throwing knives out from their holster in the case and latched them into the hidden pockets in her shoes, testing carefully to see that she could draw them without them getting stuck if she had too. After that, she fastened her utility garter belt and carefully sheathed her favorite daggers in their sheaths at her sides. Mikan had sent Ayame and Koko out to look for the dagger the Fire Prince had tossed away, and they'd returned with it four hours later, dirty and tired enough for Mikan to feel a little ashamed for making them go through so much trouble because of her attachment to her daggers.

She moved to close the case, then hesitated, opened it again and slipped two thin, unadorned pins of silver, before she locked and forced the case back underneath the dresser. Carefully she placed the pins on top of her dresser, and then deftly unbraided her hair. With the aid of the mirror above her dresser, she rebraided it, carefully hiding the pins inside the dutch braids.

Satisfied, Mikan scrambled to get a small pack of clothes and necessities packed into one of her small bags before she left her room and hurried downstairs. Koko was fooling around despite there being no sign of Commander Chinen's aide being in a hurry to leave. Instead, he looked vaguely satisfied and amused when he spotted her.

"Sakura Mikan. It is an honor."


	7. Chapter VII

**CHAPTER VII**

"Word has been received from Evireth. It appears as though Commander Tsuji Kogin will be more bothersome than we initially thought. It was soldiers under her command who kept us from taking Senthal - and she has already deployed countermeasures to ensure that we cannot move without alerting her in the process."

 _"I thought we all agreed that she would be no trouble?"_

"We did. But the situation's changed. While the details of Aishin's latest report is still being deciphered, it seems like Commander Tsuji is aware of the security breach and is attempting to flush out the mole by feeding everyone different information. Aishin is not completely certain the information he has is accurate, nor will he be able to confirm it without raising suspicion."

 _"She is already on our trail? Well, this is playing out very differently than you said it would. I believe you claimed capturing Senthal would be quick and easy, in comparison to the other provinces I recomended."_

"Yes, well, Aishin did however point us towards Commander Tsuji's most trusted subordinate. He is certain she does not merely have the Commander's utmost trust, but also complete access to all information Commander Tsuji has ever gathered, including, perhaps information about you-know-who."

 **"Who is it?"**

"Though I've come across her name before, she has never before distinguished herself enough to warrant any closer investigation - something that I've naturally already rectified. Her name, is Sakura Mikan - granddaughter of Sakura Oshirou. She volunteered for military service to keep her adopted, younger brother from the war, and has been under Commander Tsuji's command ever since. She has no official role or title, and during the two years since her conscription she has never been vacant from Commander Tsuji's side for any prolonged period. She does not appear to be an Alice, nor was there anything special about her other abilities recorded in the information Aishin was able to get his hands on - though, of course, the records could be falsified."

 _"So, for Senthal to fall, we need to get our hands on this Sakura Mikan?"_

"Yes. It does appear so."

 _"Well, ain't this perfect. For us to succeed, we need to have Sakura Mikan. But for us to get Sakura Mikan, we need to get close enough, which essentially entails taking Senthal. Good plan."_

"Well, we are in luck. Aishin also confirms that Sakura Mikan has been assigned as Depudy Commander of a small scouting party. The target appears to be our forces stationed at Merka. With permission, Your Highness, we will take her."

 **"And you believe she is the key?"**

"Yes."

 **"Then do it."**

* * *

 **Author's note  
** As you've probably noticed, it's been a while since I last updated. I've found myself completely unable to find a way to proceed with the story line that feel natural and fitting. This chapter, and the following, I've rewritten and revised probably about five times each. (I am also aware that this one is short, thought why it is should be pretty self explanatory, and the next chapter _will_ be longer again.)

 **The main reason** I am writing this though, is to thank everyone who has shown interest in this story - either by leaving a review, or just reading or following it - because it honestly motivates me to continue soooo much more than I thought it would when I first started uploading (which, I know, wasn't _that_ long ago).

 **Really, thank you!**

I hope to be able to update more often from now on, and not get hit with another writer's block!


	8. Chapter VIII

**CHAPTER VIII**

"This is soooooooo boring." Koko groaned as he lowered his binoculars and leaned back against the chimney of the old meadery they'd chosen as vantage point. Mikan shook her head at his impatience, and lowered her own binoculars when she was sure she'd memorized the pattern of the guards rounds' and shifts.

They'd been plastered across the roof of the meadery for the last six hours when they'd substituted the previous scouts and only Koko's periodic complains had broken through her focus on the task at hand during that time.

"The next shift should be here soon." Mikan said, glancing up at the sun which hung lower on the eastern sky than she thought it would. More time had passed than she'd thought, and she frowned as warning bells went off in her head. "In fact, they should already be here."

Koko straightened, put his binoculars to his eyes, and scanned the rooftops for their allies. Two roofs to the right of an inn, Iwao and Ai had been stationed and Koko looked for them first. They were easiest for Mikan and Koko to spot, and they'd been checking in regularly with the two of them to make sure everything was okay.

"No movement at position two." He relied to her a few moments later. "And I can't connect with their minds either."

Mikan swore quietly and stuffed her binoculars into one of the pouches she carried fastened to her belt. "Try again." Crawling towards the edge of the roof, she scanned the ground for any sign of the orange or red uniforms.

"Still nothing." Koko reported behind her, securing his own binoculars tighter around his neck.

"Well, shit." She cursed. "If they've been compromised by the Eldwrynians it's only a matter of time before they find us too if they haven't already. We're pulling out." Glancing over in time to see him nod, she tightened her grip on the roof and swung her legs over the edge. Twisting, she swung herself through the shattered window of the meadery and tucked herself into a roll to lessen the stress on her legs.

"What about Iawo and Ai?" Koko asked quietly as he landed beside her. She led them across the suspended platforms that made up the second floor towards the opposite window from the one they had entered through.

"We need to get ourselves out before we can worry about them. Besides, you noticed that their guards' rounds haven't changed since we lost contact with Iwao and Ai?" Without waiting for him to answer, and with her mind working overtime to come up with an escape plan, she climbed the windowsill and leaped for the branch of the young tree that conveniently made for a perfect halfway-point between the meadery's eastern window and the roof of the building besides it.

She scrambled to stay on the roof when the jump turned out a little bit short. Correction, almost perfect halfway-point. Koko's jump was perfect, and he grinned at her for the small victory before he got serious again. "You think it was a trap? They kept the guards' rotations the same so it wouldn't arouse our suspicion? Man, we're in trouble if that's true."

"Let's hope it's not then." Together they made across a handful more roofs before they begun running out of undamaged roofs to scramble across and had little choice but to surrender the high ground for the ground. Koko stayed on the roof - keeping watch - while she scurried down a trellis for honeysuckle flowers.

When her feet reached the ground, she whistled to let him know she was down and that the coast was still clear. Leaving him to get down on his own, she checked around the closest corner for any orange or red fabric.

Someone breathed against her neck, and she spun, about to comment on how quickly Koko had gotten down, but the man behind her wasn't Koko. He grinned at her and waved one of his serrated knifes in her face, the other pressed lightly against her stomach and warning her not to do anything dangerous.

"Hello there, honey. Been locking for you."

"What do you want?" She asked, hunching her shoulders and attempting to look and sound as meek and timid as she could. He grinned still, and didn't fall for her feint.

"You, of course, dearie." He sheathed his second blade, ran his fingers teasingly down her cheek and leaned in towards her face. She bared her teeth. "You're very pretty."

"Ikou." The warning came from behind him, and he moved back.

"I never get to play." He allowed the other soldier to yank her arms towards her back and fasten them, but didn't remove his blade from her stomach and didn't move far away from he until her bindings were securely fastened. "Now," He said, probably guessing where her mind had headed. "I'd be very careful if I were you." He nodded towards the trellis, where Koko stood, a girl with short dark hair dressed in the blood red uniform that marked the higher ranked officers of the Eldwrynian army, pressing a strangely arched blade against his throat.

Mikan growled, and the thin blade that she had slipped out of the hidden pocket chimed as it struck the ground. Somehow, despite the numerous other blades she carried and could use to get herself out of there, there was finality in the sound of it connecting with the cobblestone.

Glaring at the dark haired girl, she opened her mouth and surrendered.


	9. Chapter IX

**CHAPTER IX**

Mikan groaned and rolled over in the massive bed, silky sheets tangling around her legs like a lover's unwanted embrace. She just wanted to go back to sleep - all of her muscles hurt like she'd fallen off a roof and her brain felt like mush, incapable of a single coherent thought. Uncomfortable laying on her back, she rolled onto her side and reveled in how soft the sheets were. Her grandfather could never afford this quality, but Kogin...

... Kogin wouldn't spend money on soft sheets. She was the kind of woman who bought prototypes of new weapons, or stocked up on canned food instead - just because something disastrous might - possibly - go wrong in the near future.

Mikan bolted out of the bed, and ungracefully got a faceful of floor for her trouble. Biting back a curse of pain, she lifted her face off the floor and worked on untangling the sheets that had wrapped around her legs and felled her. When they gave way, she bolled them up and tossed them onto the bed, more worried about where she was than making the bed now that she was free.

Tall walls of polished, white stone inlaid with a complex combination of simple embellishments and complicated ornamentation boxed her in in an almost completely square room. Long lengths of cloth in a shade of dark green that reminded her of the forests during summer hung along the walls, and framed all the windows that ran along the entirety of one wall. The floor was as polished to perfection as the walls, and a strange color that she had never seen stone take before.

The furniture was small in number, but equally impressive as the room. The bed, more than twice as big as her already big bed in Kogin's mansion, with another set of green curtains tied to each of the bedposts and the silky sheets a crumpled pile in the middle. A large vanity table with an equally huge mirror above stood against another wall with a wardrobe in dark wood, an exact match to the vanity table, next to it. A bookcase, currently empty except for a pair of old flora and fauna book set stood behind an antique writing desk, also in the same dark wood as the other furniture.

There were two doors that led from the room, one she suspected to lead into a bathing chamber, the other to a sitting room. She rose, and realised someone had taken off her clothes and dressed her in a frilly nightgown that she never would have touched, even with a stick, if she'd been conscious. Knowing fully well that her attire was not as pressing an issue as figuring out her whereabouts and getting the hell out of wherever she was as soon as possible, she still cocked her head and considered the wardrobe.

Making her decision, she took a step towards it, then jumped when something shattered behind one of the doors. A low curse followed, then silence. As quietly as she could, she approached the door and eased it open far enough so that she could peek through. There was a room equally as grandiose as the bedchamber - a sitting room, judged by the settees arranged around a low table she could see through the crack between door and frame - but in shades of blue this time, and a familiar head crowned in gold seated in one of the settees.

She shifted her weight to get a better look at the rest of the room, and grimaced when the floorboard creaked and alerted him, and anyone else in the room with him, to her presence. "Mikan!" Koko grinned, jumping to his feet and coming towards her. A bruise colored one of his cheeks and a bandage peeked out underneath the sleeve of his shirt, but otherwise he looked fine. He didn't say anything about the nightgown, which she appreciated.

"Are you alright?" She asked with some difficulty after he was in her room, only realising that her throat was really dry when she tried to speak. Hoping he'd understood her through all the croaking, she spun and headed to the vanity table where a pitcher filled with water stood beside a few mugs.

"Some bruising. A laceration on my upper arm - nothing serious." He answered as she poured water in one of the mug.

"Good." Mikan answered after she had finished the water. "I feel...weird. Did they drug me after they knocked me out?"

Koko grimaced as he watched her pour another glass, shaking his head when she wordlessly asked if he wanted some too. "Uh, yeah. Think so. They knocked me out pretty quickly after they knocked out you. I overheard some snippets of thoughts before though - drugs were at least considered."

"How long have you been conscious?" Mikan asked, sitting down on the edge of the vanity table. "And do you know where we are?"

"We are in one of the diplomatic suites at Castle Haveria." Koko said, and Mikan cursed. He continued talking, but she couldn't process the words - too surprised and still a bit sluggish after her drugged unconsciousness.

She really hoped they weren't at Castle Haveria, because that would be bad. Castle Haveria was an old fortress that once had guarded the border between Eldwryn and Evireth, before the border had been redrawn further north when negotiating peace after a devastating war between Eldwryn and Evireth decades ago. According to all reports Mikan had read when she'd had nothing better to do - the fortress had been neglected for years and should've been nothing but a ruin by now.

Which it obviously wasn't.

"Well, shit." She groaned, resting her head against her palms as she thought. "Have you learned anything more by reading the guards? Ways out of here they might not have completely covered because we won't know about them? Or the guards' shift changes?"

Koko looked sheepish as he ran a hand through his hair and refused to meet her eyes. "There's something that's stopping me. I have a hard time even reading you, nevermind anyone outside these walls."

Mikan made a sound of understanding. They were in enemy and unfamiliar territory, and expecting Evireth to come for them anytime soon would be a foolish. Not even Kogin, as a Commander or as the leader of the Hidden Blades, would be able to set aside the people required for an extraction anytime soon. If she attempted to, Senthal and Evireth would fall.

Not that Kogin at this point would even have proof of life. Mikan and Koko were on their own. Or perhaps not. "Iwao and Ai? Have you seen any traces of them?"

"No." Koko glanced away, avoiding meeting her eyes. "They took us, right? So they might have taken them too, but-"

"Iwao and Ai weren't whom they were looking for so there'd be no point in taking them too." Mikan finished, guilt churning in her stomach as she finally realised what had happened. They hadn't just been discovered randomly by coincidence - the entire mission had been a trap from the beginning with a specific objective in mind. Kogin had been right. There was a traitor among them, someone who'd supplemented the Eldwrynians with enough information to know exactly whom to target if they wanted, say, intel on the Commander who'd managed to repel their forces. Which Mikan figured they probably did right about now. If Eldwryn had known about their presence and set them up, then it followed that the ones they abducted was of some importance to them. Like a mindreader with access to the thoughts of their enemy, or, said enemy's closest subordinate.

This time Koko met her eyes as she looked at him, and she saw that he too had reached the same conclusion, but she had to say the words. "Because their target was us."


End file.
